RAW TAHINI ENERGY BALLS

I love making raw energy balls, they're quick and easy to make plus you get a really deliciously healthy treat as a result. They keep fresh in the fridge for days so you can make a big batch of them in advance then eat them all week long!

The combination of dates, cacao and maple syrup makes these energy balls decadent enough to satisfy any sweet tooth while the tahini and oats will provide you with enough energy to see you through the afternoon, way more effective than reaching for a biscuit or chocolate bar! Paired with a nice cup of almond milk tea these are just a dream! All in all these energy balls are a perfect work-break pick me up, on the go snack or healthy lunch box treat.

Ingredients (makes 9-12):

- 1 1/2 cup gluten free oats

- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted

- 1/4 cup light tahini

- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pink himalayan salt
- 3 tbsp raw cacao powder
- Small cup of sesame seeds and/or cacao for rolling (optional)

Method: 

1.) Put all the ingredients listed into a food processor or Vitamix blender. Blend on high until a smooth texture is achieved and you can't see any oats whizzing round, you may need to scrape down the sides of the processor/blender. 

2.) Scoop out the mixture out with your hands or a spoon - this is the really messy part but don't worry it's supposed to be sticky! 

3.) I then like to refrigerate the mixture for an hour or even overnight until it hardens slightly, making it easier to roll into balls. 

4.) Roll them in a bowl of sesame seeds or cacao powder to coat. 

The cacao powder makes them feel more truffle like and brings out the cacao flavour while the sesame seeds give them a nice texture and bring out the tahini more. You could even turn them into an extra special treat by drizzling some melted dark chocolate over the raw mixture and adding them to a bowl of banana nice cream. 

If you liked these check out my Raw Cacao Bliss Balls recipe.

OVERNIGHT CHIA COCONUT OATS

Cool, creamy, substantial and satisfying - this is a breakfast of dreams. This delicious oat and chia seed combo is a great way to kick start the day as both fill you up and provide you with lots of energy. The chia seeds give you a quick boost while the oats are a slow release form of energy, able to carry you through till lunchtime.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of gluten free oats

- 1-2 cups of almond milk (depending on how thick you like your oats to be)

- 2 tbsp coconut yoghurt

- 2 tbsp chia seeds

- Small handful of berries/fruit of your choice

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 tbsp maple syrup/sweetener of choice

Topping:

- 2 tbsp coconut yoghurt

- Frozen berries/fruit of choice

- Gluten free granola

Method:

Pour all the ingredients in the order listed into a sealable jar then stir the mixture. Refrigerate overnight and stir it again in the morning. Add coconut yoghurt, granola and frozen berries on top to serve.

TROPICAL CHIA PUDDING

Chia seed pudding is my go to recipe if I know I won't have much time in the morning to prepare a healthy breakfast. It really is a healthy, handy time saver as it's made with as little as 3 ingredients and literally takes a few mins to throw together the night before, you can even take it with you to go the next day.

There's many other reasons to love chia seed pudding, not only are chia seeds gluten free, they're also packed full of; nutrients, antioxidants, fibre, omega-3 and minerals to name a few benefits! As well as making a quick and easy breakfast it can also be eaten as a healthy snack or dessert (what's not to love about that?). 

Ingredients (Serves 1):

For the pudding:

- 1/2 cup of chia seeds

- 2 cups of almond milk

- 2 tbsp maple syrup

- 1 passionfruit (optional)

For the topping:

- 2 tbsp coconut milk yoghurt (I used Coyo)

- 1 passionfruit

- Coconut chips 

Method:

1.) Combine all the pudding indigents into a jar and stir. Close the lid tightly then shake vigorously.

2.) Come back to your fridge to stir your jar a few hours later (I forgot this step this time and you can see the chia seeds stuck to the bottom so learn from my mistake!)

3.) Leave to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

4.) Serve with fruit and nut toppings of your choice.

What's so great about this pudding is that you can add whatever fruit/nut toppings you like and combine with different milk/sweeteners to give you a variety of flavour combinations. I had some Coyo yoghurt so decided to go for a totally tropical theme as I'm currently into breakfasts that give me that sunshine feeling before I start my day (see Healthy Chocolate Oats). This beautiful coconut and passionfruit combo certainly had me dreaming of warmer climes and served as a welcomed reminder that Summer is not too far away!

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE OATS

So you may be thinking boring old chocolate oats, as a blog post - is she for real? But these aren't just any plain old chocolate oats, these are healthy superfood chocolate oats (said in a sexy Marks and Spencer ad kind of way), packed with energy inducing ingredients and yummy warming goodness.

While it didn't take me long to come up with a title, it's actually taken me a lot longer to come up with a recipe that I'm happy with. I've often found chocolate oats made with cacao to be too bitter and not sweet enough for my liking -  but then again I have a VERY sweet tooth.

I'm now trying to satisfy this sweet tooth in a way that doesn't compromise on healthy. I did this here by adding a date to the mix and a tsp of coconut sugar. Previously it would have been dairy free choc chips and large helpings of agave all the way, so this is a big improvement!

My other healthier sources of sugar include fruit and maple syrup, honey is also an excellent healthier source of sweetness if your not a strict vegan like me.

Ingredients:

- 40g/1 cup gluten free porridge oats
- 200ml of plant based milk, I used almond
- Tbsp chia seeds
- Pinch of pink salt
- Tbsp flaxseed
- Tbsp organic cacao powder
- Tbsp organic maca powder
- 1 chopped date
- 1/2- 1tsp coconut sugar
- Sprinkling of cacao nibs

Recipe:

1.) Weigh out 40g of oats or use 1 cup.
2.) Add this to a pan of plant based milk and warm for around 5mins along with the other ingredients in the order listed.
3.) Your oats should start to bubble after this time, that means they're ready to eat!
4.) Top with a scoop of nut butter and fruit of your choice.

My favourite toppings with chocolate oats are; peanut butter and banana or almond butter and berries. Here I went for a slightly tropical meets winter topping with banana, coconut chips, almond butter and frozen blueberries, as it was an insanely cold, rainy, grey day outside but I wanted to feel sunny on the inside!

EASY PEASY MAC AND CHEESEY!

With the likes of pizza and mac and cheese being my all time favourite indulgence meals, the one thing I sometimes miss as a vegan is cheese. Sure there's Cheezly, Sheese and No Muh (No Muh has to be the best I've tried so far) but nothing has quite hit the spot in terms of substitutions. The time came to take matters into my own hands and see if I could come up with something that would satisfy my needy cheesy tastebuds. 

This isn't technically a recipe, you just throw the ingredients together in a pan until it tastes good! First of all you need to cook the pasta shells (or macaroni if you prefer), I won't baby you by telling you how to do this...

While the pasta is cooking, pour some unsweetened almond milk in a pan on a medium heat, I would say allow 1 cup for each person. Add lot's of nutritional yeast (this gives it that cheesy taste) then a half teaspoon of: nutmeg, paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin. Squirt in a teaspoon of mustard and a sprinkle of turmeric to give the sauce a golden colour.  Add a corn starch/thickening mixture, following the instructions on the packet. Then season with salt, pepper, paprika and hot sauce to taste (optional). 

A quick and easy meal using cheap pantry ingredients. You can also add extra ingredients to the mac and cheese to make it more interesting and substantial such as; tofu dogs, soy protein and broccoli or peas. 

MY VERSION: WASABI YAKI SOBA

I have a bit of a thing for Japanese food and think I would be in my element if I decided to visit Japan one day. Wagamamas, Dim T and Wasabi are all at the top of my list for a casual meal out or a quick grab and go. When I worked in Central London I would religiously order the Roasted Veg Yaki Soba noodles from Wasabi, which are accidentally vegan (you can check out their allergy info here). Looking at the handful of ingredients in the Yaki Soba I thought this would be easy enough to recreate at home, plus it's always fun to experiment in the kitchen with foods you love. I actually now prefer the home cooked versions of my restaurant faves to the real thing (Read: check out my Wagamamas recipe). At least this way you can control what goes in and you know exactly what your eating!

Ingredients (serves 3):

2 bundles of organic udon or buckwheat soba noodles
Firm organic tofu
Frozen garden peas
1 onion chopped into chunks
2 tbsp oil
Salt
Hot sauce and soy sauce to taste

Instructions:

1. Chop the tofu into large cubes and the onion into chunks.
2. Fry the onion in 1tbsp oil in a large pan till lightly brown.
3. Boil the noodles in a pan of lightly salted water for about 8mins.
4. In a separate pan add 1tbsp of oil and fry the tofu cubes for about 6mins.
5. Meanwhile boil the peas for 4mins in a pan of lightly salted water.
6. When everything is ready drain the noodles and sprinkle them with cold water, toss till they are dry. Then put them into the same large pan as the onions and add the tofu. Drain the peas and add those to the pan. Cook everything in the pan together till warmed through.
7. Add salt, hot sauce and soy sauce to taste. Delicious served with miso soup and vegetable spring rolls.

I'm ready for my close-up.

Healthy tips:

• Skip frying the noodles at the end and just serve the ingredients straight on top of the boiled noodles after draining.
• I usually make this dish with udon noodles but it's a matter of preference and depends on how healthy you want to be, the soba noodles are healthier as they're made from buckwheat.
• You could always try adding more veggies to this dish to make it as nutritious and colourful as you like.

What's your favourite place to eat? Have you ever attempted to make your favourite restaurant dish or adapted it to make it vegan? I'd love to know! 

TERRIFIC TURMERIC TOFU

I have been adding turmeric to my favourite tofu scramble for a while now, mainly as it gives it that yellow 'egg' look and also because I love the warm taste and fragrance it gives to an otherwise (let's face it) pretty bland dish, but it wasn't until this week that I discovered the long list of fantastic health benefits it has too, such as:

1.) Combating depression

2.) Anti-inflammatory properties

3.) Preventative cancer blocking

4.) Radiation reduction (from daily usage of mobile/cell/cordless phones etc.)

5.) Boots the immune system 

And too many more to mention here! You can read more about the fantastic benefits of turmeric here.

Above: Linda McCartney vegetarian sausages (vegan friendly), tofu, spinach, onions and tomatoes.

I love this dish as you can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner! It's so easy to make and you can get lots of veggies in one go if you chuck 'em all in to the mix. Be sure to use organic tofu though as 89 percent of soy beans grown are genetically modified. 

Here's how I make my scramble:

1.) Take a block of tofu and drain any liquid, if you prefer the scramble to be dry then pat with a kitchen towel. (It doesn't have to be firmed first as your going to scramble it). 

2.) Heat some oil in a frying pan then add the tofu and begin to break it up in the pan.

2.) Fry the onions separately till lightly brown, then add the tomatoes and fry for a couple of minutes.

3.) Boil some spinach, do this towards the end as this only takes around 4 mins.

4.) When the tofu is cooked after around 6-8 mins, add the fried onions and tomatoes. Stir in (approximately) a teaspoon of turmeric then add some salt and black pepper.

5.) Serve with veggie sausages or vegan 'meat' substitute. Also equally nice on toast or a bagel. 

I also recommend adding generous amounts of turmeric to rice and curry dishes. Another easy way to make sure you get a large dose of turmeric into your daily diet is by taking capsules. I have been taking Viridian capsules as in my opinion these are the best brand (and vegan too), you can get them from Revital stores or online here.

Do you have any great turmeric recipes to share?